


Swimming Lessons

by heroicclarke



Category: Eyewitness (US TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, One Shot, swim lessons and kisses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-03
Updated: 2016-12-03
Packaged: 2018-09-06 07:29:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8740420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heroicclarke/pseuds/heroicclarke
Summary: After Lukas realizes that Philip can't swim, he resolves to teach him. Philip agrees begrudgingly, and only because he gets to see Lukas in his boxers.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Türkçe available: [Swimming Lessons](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8806555) by [necessitas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/necessitas/pseuds/necessitas)



"I overestimated the amount of clothing you needed to teach me how to swim," Philip said as Lukas shimmied out of his pants. 

"You underestimated how much you want to see me take off more," Lukas retorted without missing a beat. 

Not willing to agree with or refute the statement, Philip sat down on the sandy bank of the lake, his legs crossed, looking at the water below him. The water _seemed_ so calm, so benevolent. Gabe loved the water so much, and so did Lukas, it appeared. Why was it that Philip just couldn't bring himself to step foot in it?

"You agreed to this, Philip, let's go." Lukas stood knee-deep in the water, shivering slightly in the warm breeze of the fading summer. 

"I told you, I'll be right next to you the whole time," Lukas' voice grew softer as he waded closer to Philip.

Philip couldn't meet his eyes. He had agreed to let Lukas teach him how to swim. He just didn't realize how terrifying the moment would actually be. 

"I never thought I would say please when telling you to do this, but _please_ take off your clothes."

Philip tore his eyes from the eerily calm water and looked up at Lukas. The taller blond was trailing his hands through the water, making patterns with the ripples. It really didn't look all that scary. Sighing, Philip got up and took off his shirt. He threw it down next to Lukas'.

"Don't make me come over there and do it for you," Lukas teased, stepping toward him.

"Alright, alright, don't act so eager," Philip finally cracked a smile, stooping down to untie his shoes and take them off.

Philip knew he was going extraordinarily slowly. He couldn't help it. The thought of going into the water terrified him almost as much as the time he outed himself to his whole school the year before in the city. When he stood up, he was immediately enveloped in a hug.

"I know you're scared. I'm scared about a lot of things. I found if I just face them then they get so much better," Lukas whispered in his ear. "I learned that when I met you."

Philip sighed and loosened his belt, "Always hitting me with that 'I love you' synonyms."

He kicked off his pants and walked to the water's edge, standing with his toes over the edge of the sand, nearly touching the water. Lukas stood behind him, watching with anticipation. Philip laced his fingers with Lukas and took a deep breath. First one foot, and then the other. It wasn't much, but it was a start. The water felt cool and fresh. The sand underneath was soft and squishy. 

"I'm going to lead you out a little deeper, okay?" Lukas said, still holding onto his hand. "We're not going to go far. You'll always be able to stand, and I'll always be right by your side."

"Okay." Philip took a shaky breath and walked out a few more steps. 

The water was climbing up his ankles. He could see small minnows and pieces of grass and sticks floating around, being stirred up by the movement. Mud squelched between his toes, quite a satisfying feeling, actually. The only thing keeping Philip from running back to the shoreline was Lukas' warm hand in his, and the promise that he won't let go. 

Soon the water was waist deep. The deeper the water became, the shallower his breaths became also. Philip's grip was growing tighter, and Lukas squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"Now I want you to bend your knees so the water rises up to your chest. Nothing's going to happen, you'll just be mostly submerged, but not all the way. I'm right here."

Philip bent his knees slowly, feeling the cool water rise and cover most of his body. Eventually only his neck and head were above the water.

"Good, good, this is great," Lukas exclaimed, reaching out his other hand for Philip to hold onto. "Now I want you to lay on your back. The water will keep you afloat. Don't thrash or kick, just stay still and you'll stay above the water."

Philip's heart sunk like a rock. This is what he was dreading. He dreaded his feet leaving the ground and allowing his body to be at the mercy of the water. He knew that there wasn't a current in this pond, and the he could easily stand up. But yet he was still terrified. When he didn't move, Lukas spoke up. 

"Just watch me, okay?" Lukas let go of one of Philip's hands and leaned back in the water. His head stayed above the water, and his feet popped a few feet away. He was still, perfectly still. After a few seconds, he brought his feet back down and stood up. 

"Your turn. Lean back and bring your feet up. I'll keep my hands underneath you the whole time. If you don't think you can keep your head above the water, just stand up. You can do it."

Philip remembered what Lukas had told him earlier about facing his fears. Philip leaned back and lifted his feet off the ground. It was actually working! But not for long, Philip's head dunked below the water and he gasped in a mouthful of water. He thrashed his body around for a moment until his feet found the ground again. He pushed himself up and stood above the water, breathing heavily and coughing out water. 

"It's okay, you're okay," Lukas rubbed his back. "Just make sure you stay calm and let the water hold you up. Do you want to try again? You don't have to. I remember the first time I feel off of my dirtbike. I didn't want to get back on. I was afraid it would happen again-"

Philip interrupted him with a kiss. 

"But if you hadn't gotten back on, you would never be my boyfriend," Philip told him with a smile as they pulled apart. 

Lukas blushed as Philip lowered himself back into the water. Philip tried again, leaning back and allowing the water to hold him afloat. He could feel Lukas' hands holding onto his back. His touch was gentle and reassuring.

"I'm doing it," Philip said with a laugh, extending his arms out to the sides.

After several seconds of floating, Philip brought his feet back down and stood up. The water didn't seem so menacing anymore. The calm stillness no longer seemed like a clever front to hide the dangers within. 

"Are you ready to try actual swimming?" Lukas asked tentatively. "If you're not ready today, I understand."

"No, I want to try it." Lukas' face lit up with excitement when Philip spoke.

"First I want you to watch me. I'm going to let go of you, okay? I'll be right back." 

Lukas let go of Philip's hand and sunk down into the water. He windmilled his arms and kicked his legs, which propelled him forward. He swam in circles around Philip a few times, reminding him of a movie he and Gabe had watched together once. _Teeth?_ No. _Bite?_ No. _Jaws?_ Yes. 

Finally Lukas stopped circling and stood back up, "See, you'll be in the shallow part the whole time. Just move your arms like I did, in a windmill motion. Use your hands to push the water behind you. Kick your legs and you'll move faster. It seems scary at first because your face is in the water, but move your head to the side to breathe. Got all that?"

"Yeah, windmill arms, kicky legs, breathe out the side. Got it." Philip took a deep breath, the rush of adrenaline keeping him going. 

"I'll be right next to you the whole time, so if you need me you can just grab onto me," Lukas looked almost as worried as Philip felt.

Philip squatted down in the water and windmilled his arms. Once he was moving forward, he started kicking his legs. After a few seconds, Philip felt a tightness in his chest. How was it that he was supposed to breathe again? To the side? No, his arm was there, it would just push water into his mouth. Feeling the tightness getting even tighter, Philip flailed his arm out to the side, hitting Lukas' leg. Almost immediately, Lukas grabbed under his arms and pulled him out of the water.

Coughing, Philip looked up at his sheepishly, "I forgot how to breathe."

"So did I, when I first kissed you," Lukas grinned, pushing Philip's hair out of his eyes. 

Philip shook his head and splashed him with water, "You idiot."

"Yes, you're the one who _forgot how to breathe,_ but I'm the idiot," Lukas laughed, splashing him back. 

"Hey, I'm still new at this!" Philip protested, pushing Lukas lightly. 

"And I'm new at this," Lukas sat down in the water, pulling Philip on top of him. Lukas looked into his eyes for a few moments before bringing their lips together. The kiss was soft and slow. It tasted slightly of pond water, but neither really cared. They both knew that the day's swimming lesson was long over.

"You may be new, but you're quite good," Philip smirked, going in for another kiss.


End file.
